Hello Doctor
I am a 42 year old male from Florence, Italy. I have been on Zerit-Viramune-Videx for 3 years and the only problem encountered is facial wasting.
After talking to my doctor I changed Zerit with Viread.
Should I expect some improvement of the lipoatrophy? Some hospitals are starting providing injections of your own fat (free of charge) to reduce lipoatrophy, how would you compare this kind of treatment against new-fill ??
Grazie !!!!!

Response from Dr. Moyle

My experience, shared with many of my colleagues, is that fat does recover after switching away from d4T to tenofovir. However, recovery of that on the face seems to be the slowest of all so that people notice improvements in their arms and legs long before their face improves. Therefore, approaches like fat transfer and other cosmetic treatments are of interest. I have not seen any reports of the benefits of fat transfer in individuals were modified their therapy. Past experience indicates that fat transfer is rather short lived in the benefits and may lead to a somewhat lumpy appearance.
Treatments such as NewFill and Bioalcimed may offer better cosmetic results but in your situation will cost money. I would see if you could meet some of the other individuals at your clinic who have had fat transfer to discuss their experience within to find out how satisfactory it is.

This forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not rendering medical, mental health, legal or other professional advice or services. If you have or suspect you may have a medical, mental health, legal or other problem that requires advice, consult your own caregiver, attorney or other qualified professional.

Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither TheBody.com nor any advertiser is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.